Fallen Máni: Sun

 Hati and Sköll managed to make most of the way to their intended destination, travelling across the forests and killing wildlife and hikers alike.  

They only travelled at night, spending the days in caves, sewers, abandoned buildings, feasting on their catch until not even bones remained. 

Now they rested on an abandoned warehouse, just seven kilometers to Máni's house. It was rather empty, its windows on various stages of despair and most of the equipment rusty and broken. Moss-covered half-crates proved to be good beds, as far as both brothers were concerned

Their 'benefactor' hadn't talked to them ever since their decision to abandon his instructions, and they supposed they lost his favour.

"We have never needed him" Hati scoffed, more confident than Sk¨¨oll had ever seen him.

"Yeah, if his only contribution was telling us to be 'subtle"" Sköll said, lying on back and chewing on a child's leg, "Like, I can do that. And I'm surprised you could too."

Hati smirked, a feat Sköll didn't even knew he was capable of.

"The night has been lifeless without the Moon, too bright to hide and too dark see. Only one god dwells there, and she wastes her time in the most trivial of things."

Though Hati still remembered her steed's kicks, and dared to not talk about her any further.

"I guess so" said Sköll, atypically laconic.

For the last few hours, both brothers experienced sincere happiness, a feeling that was downright alien to both of them. 

The sunlight had since risen, but they kept themselves cloaked in shadow, the warehouse's windows small and its walls of a dark steel. There was no door, both wolves having jumped their way in.

"And we're so close too" Sköll grinned perversely, "Are you going to kill him right away?"

Hati pondered, a rare moment when he was truly lost in his thoughts. He was just a stride away from fulfilling his destiny, and a certain uncertain overflowed him. After millennia of suffering, it would finally be over.

Or would it?

Before he could answer Sköll, however, the windows flood the room with a fiery light at all angles. It was orange and white, melting through the warehouse as it was mere wax.

"Oh great, Sól knows about us!" Sköll said, annoyance covering fear.

Hati grunted, and got up, the light incinerating his crate and setting fire to his golden fur, blackening it. Sköll vanished into a mist-like state, dispersing his form to whatever few places the light had yet found.

Unlike Dagr's light, Sól's was intense, passionate, alive. His light was the order that comes from day itself, dulling the senses, subduing the self to order. Hers was a primal source, the nature of the Sun: morality, life, happiness. Things order needs to exist, to fight for, but ultimately cannot help but dull.

Hati particularly appreciated how it didn't touch his soul or mess with his mind, leaving him completely free. He had once occasionally faced the Sun, when his chase for the Moon, these encounters being the cause for eclipses.

So he knew a good fight was about to ensue.

He plunged into the molten metal and left the warehouse. His flesh seared, liquid metal pulverising his skin but coating into an efficient armour. Just Hati's favourite: if you're going to defend yourself, then it should pain you back.

Now he was before the Sun's true splendour, the skies white and gold as if they were consumed by the brightest of fires. Sól was everywhere at once, not manifesting a physical form besides her shield, Svalinn, high in the skies and forming a lone shadow, reigning in her power.

Hati laughed a hearty laugh, amazed at her power and majesty.

"Elven-wheel, we meet at last" he spoke, his throat full of liquid metal, granting him a gurgling effect to his primal, guttural roars.

Sól shouted, a sound akin to a nuclear explosion, and beams of searing light rained from the skies, piercing every one of Hati's limbs. Hati's flesh was consumed by light and metal, but his heart only raced; the combined pain filled his veins with a red, boiling blood that ejected from all of his orifices.

The ejecting blood mixed with the metal, and both cooled down and fused into an armour that enveloped every contour of Hati's body, black and red blended in the mute visage of rust. Hati jumped into the skies and howled a howl that shook the foundations of Yggdrasil itself, his veins filled with magma that began cracking through the armour.

Jets of lava radiated from his body, his own parody of Sól's light. His jaws extended far beyond the physical constraints of his skull, and he bit down on the light, grasping the rays as if he had grasped an arm.

Sól screamed again and responded by a barrage of solar flares, that utterly obliterated Hati's body aside from his now blackened jaws and heart. He released his grasp, but drawing on his hatred he regenerated his tissues and stroke again.

A pattern followed: the Sun obliterated the wolf, the wolf regenerated and bit. Sköll quickly observed how Sól was focused with his twin, and deemed it a good time to strike. His already dissipated body skimmed through the fabric of reality, reforming at an overseeing branch of the tree.

He watched deviously, trying to find a weak spot in Sól's form. This was easier said than done, as the Sun had truly expanded in all directions, being wise enough to forsake a physical form herself.

As he watched, another light began to fill the space around him, a cold white radiance that filled the wolf Jötnar's heart with dread and fear.

Everything moves as I had foreseen it would.

"I h-hope you're not mad about us ditching you" Sköll whimpered.

It did force my hand, but it is very fortunate. The Sun is distracted, perhaps even killed in this incident. And how, you are free to kill the Moon.

"Wait, I thought you need Hati to do that" Sköll asked confusedly, "When you tried, he just got reborn as a mortal."

I believe that what it is needed in the end is the wolf's touch. You are forces that devour, leave nothing left. True, the Sun will be reborn even after she is devoured by you, but she is a fruit, and fruit are meant to be eaten in order to germinate. The Moon is a flower, it is not meant to be eaten, just to inspire in order to reproduce, inherently fated to die.

I couldn't kill Máni because, no matter how destructive the light of day is, it is the very essence of the dawn. It is meant to bring forth new things, life after the devastation, hope after despair, light after darkness. It cannot truly purge.

Dagr looked at Sól, and Sköll could feel envy in the whiteness.

She could, perhaps. But she would never turn against her own brother, even if it meant a better world for all.

"Brother" resonated in Sköll's mind, and he felt an urge to fight.

"Can we do it after I kill Sól? With the two of us, we have a chance to finish her off, and even if she's reborn she'll probably be out of commission long enough for us to get Máni."

Dagr sighed.

As you wish. While you enjoy yourself I will... salt, the meal.

***

Manuel, Hjúki and Jonathan made their way to the former's house. Hjúki lounged on the couch, still recovering from his injuries, much to Silvia's distrust.

Manuel had introduced him to her as a "friend I met online" who was "crashing in for a day". Yeah, right, Silvia thought. I mean, it's not like there's no reason he couldn't be, but something's off. Way, way off. Like his weird-ass name.

She asked a barrage of questions, like "How did you guys met" or "Why now?" or ""What happened?" - seriously, he looks like a train hit him. Manuel, already upset on arrival, had none of that and locked himself in his room.

Jonathan stood with her in the living room. Silvia liked Jonathan, he always had something interesting to say even if she thought he was a bit clueless and a slow thinker. They played video games for a while, taking turns bringing in snacks and drinks.

Hjúki watched silently, occasionally invested in what they were playing. Silvia offered him some tacos, which he refused calmly, albeit with his disgust in his face. This only added to Silvia's distrust, and she periodically looked over her shoulder, observing him in turn.

At first, he observed her back, confused. Silvia signed with her fingers that she would be watching over him, and he quickly lost interest. Eventually, he fell asleep.

"He's just a loud snorer" complained Silvia, throwing him a pillow.

Amazingly, he swatted the pillow middair with his arm perfectly, while still asleep. That earned him some of Silvia's respect, albeit not by much. Jonathan nodded absent-minded, he had grown increasingly worried.

"Silvia, I'm going to check on your brother" he said, getting up, "Please do anything to Hjúki."

"I'm worried "whatever-his-name" does anything to me" she said.

"C'mon, he's a nice guy. Besides, its not like these walls are sound proof."

"True, I guess" and Silvia returned to her game.

Jonathan looked one last time at the unconscious Hjúki, and left the room. His footsteps echoed across the corridor until he reached Manuel's door and knocked on it gently.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

Manuel didn't answer, but footsteps within the door got louder until the door was opened, and Jonathan was met with Manuel's embrace and sobbing.

"I don't know what to do" he whimpered softly, "I know the world needs me to become the Moon, but this all happened so fast-"

"Hey, its okay" Jonathan said, kissing him softly on the lips, "We'll figure it out. We have, like some 23 hours until the eclipse happens, right?

"22" Manuel answered.

"Still enough time to think, right?"

Manuel kissed Jonathan. Maybe he's right, he considered, it is an "end of the world" scenario right now...

Manuel began unbuttoning Jonathan's shirt, when suddenly their room was filled by an intense white light.

"Oh you gotta be freaking kidding me right now!" Manuel shouted, shutting his eyes and shielding  Jonathan's with his hands.

Greetings, Máni. We meet face to face, at last. Or, rather, we would, if you didn't decide to blind yourself and your... lover.

"Jonathan told me of what you can do" Manuel spat.

Then perhaps you shouldn't have used your hands, then. Fingers have gaps between them, you know...

"Oh my god, he's getting in!" Jonathan screamed, beams of light passing between Manuel's fingers.

Speaking of which, so do eyelids... and indeed the gap at the center of Manuel's closed eyes began to trim with a bright white.

"Enough!" Manuel shouted, a primordial voice like the crashing of tides, and darkness enveloped him and Jonathan. The light was gone from them

The light, however, still dominated the rest of the room. Dagr sighed, and coalesced into a more physical form. His body was dressed in a white norse noble's waving, blue and rose vests, and a golden, flowing hair had formed in his head.

His face, however, remained completely blank.

"Máni!" Hjúki shouted from the living room, prompting Silvia's own scream.

Thundering footsteps crashed down the corridor, until the door to Manuel's room was kicked open, revealing Hjúki, pointing an arrow towards Dagr. 

He momentarily panicked, realising his eyes were uncovered, until Manuel extended his shadows to the archer's face.

I see you already know where I stand in all of this.

"Máni, he killed you!" Hjúki said, "He's the one behind everything!"

Indeed I am. Remember, Manny, and you will see me there.

Máni remembered his conversation with Sól and all those moments where he brought emotions from within, to bring what lies in the darkness and make it bright. And so, with a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused on the darkness within himself:

He remembered himself, not as a boy, but as the Moon, an ancient and powerful overseer of the night. 

His body was not a body, just a projection of his true self, what human eyes perceived as just a rock in space, in turn the avatar of the dark flower of Yggdrasil, waxing and waning, ever-shifting like a flame and like the waves of the sea he loved so much.

That transient nature, combined with the sheer powered that he possessed, almost made Manuel go insane, so he desperately grappled unto emotional ropes. 

He felt what he once felt.

Hjúki and Bil riding at his side, his beloved children. The Sun setting on the horizon, his older sister to whom he had looked up to (now I know how you feel, Silvia).

The dreaded Hati, an enemy then far away, but closing in quickly. The other dreaded enemy, Odin, laughing at his misfortune.

The memories of many lovers, of their passions housed within their heart and their memories on his mind.

And then, finally, following Sól to the west, was Dagr. He rode on a white horse, Skinfaxi, at once cloud and open flame, but always white light.

He didn't know how he felt about him. He heralded his sister, as close as a falcon is to an eagle. Sometimes he joined him, where the Moon was high but Day was not over. He was attractive, but distant, not at all inviting love, while paradoxically embodying its fruition in the dawns and springs.

For a being of order, Dagr was hard to grasp.

At some point, Dagr began slowing down. The Sun dipped below the horizon, but day still shone. This wasn't new to Máni; what was new was how Dagr approached him.

"Fine tidings, torch-bearer" Máni said heartily, "Do you wish to talk?"

Yes, as a matter of fact I do.

Máni was taken aback. That voice was made of light like his sister, but an ancient, primordial light, that embodied the cyclical nature of Day so perfectly.

You must tire, running from the wolves as you do.

"Aye"  Máni said, "But it doesn't bother me. I live my last moments with joy, never sorrow."

There is a pleasure to seeing the gods handling the inevitable like that, I must say. But as for me, I shall not suffer even the prospect of Ragnarök.

Máni was at once confused, bewildered and intensely curious, the mix of emotions almost breaking Manuel's grasp. He felt those emotions himself, however, and quickly synchronised himself again, and his lips spoke:

"How?"

Like this.

Suddenly, Dagr burst into a searing, violent light, the heat of midday. Máni was burned to nothingness, so quickly he didn't even feel pain. White light filled his mind, if it could even be called a mind at that point, blank and thoughtless and utterly devoid of emotions as it was.

His connection with his body was severed, and the essence of the Moon sank like rain into the earth.

The light dimmed in Manuel's sight, catching one last glimpse of Dagr leaving and allowing Nótt to bring the night.

Manuel snapped back into his senses quickly and pointed at Dagr.

"You monster" Manuel said, channeling the essence of the Moon itself. 

He felt power rushing through his veins, but only a small fraction of what he had in his vision, and it quickly dissipated.

Now, if I didn't kill you then, you would have never met your lovebird, Dagr mocked, Besides, you don't even know why I want Ragnarök gone. Isn't it a good thing that the end of the world will never come?

"By poisoning all realms!? Hjúki spat with disgust, "The Moon's absence is bringing decay. The oceans aren't alive. Entire ecosystems are ruined. Creativity id dying. Realms are collapsing."

I don't know, Midgard seems pretty fine without a Moon. People being dumber than average and frogs swimming in the sea don't seem like huge problems to me. But that's fairly irrelevant, because I wish to remake reality to a true... paradise.

"What do you mean?" Manuel asked.

You will all find out soon enough. Well, perhaps not you, since the death of the Moon and of the Sun are necessary.

And, as if on cue, Manuel, Jonathan, Hjúki and Silvia all felt an intense pain on their chests, as if a part of the world had died. Dagr flared a light and blew up Manuel's room, revealing the sky.

For a moment, it was white and gold, as if made of light itself. But soon enough, it faded, and the bright blue was restored. Daylight remained bright, perhaps even brighter than normal, but it had no apparent source.

The Sun was gone.

"Sól's... dead" Manuel said, feeling tears welling in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Manny, she will be reborn soon" Hjúki comforted Manuel, touching his back.

"Yeah, in mythology a new Sun is born after the Ragnarök ends" Jonathan said, though he felt a tinge of uncertainty, given how everything was not as it was meant to be.

Sadly yes, though I have my means to deal with her permanently. I shall eat the fruit of Yggdrasil, far more than the wolves have, and she will become part of me. The Sun will be assimilated by Day.

Anger welled inside Manuel and Hjúki, but they froze still as howls filled the air and earth. Ancient, eldritch sounds that demonstrated everything distorted and cruel about the wolf, taking a vain glory in its kill.

You hear that? The wolves are coming, god of the Moon, and you will truly die.

"Not if we stand in their path." Týr's voice echoed in all directions, drowning out the howls.

"Bil!" Hjúki shouted, and soon enough she flew in, landing next to him.

She reverted to her human self and looked at Manuel, resolute in her mission. Having remembered  his feelings as her father, Manuel hugged her, and she smiled the brightest she ever had in years.

"Where have you been!?" Hjúki asked, hugging both of them.

Manuel rejoiced in that hug, and invited Jonathan and Silvia to join in. Reluctantly, they made it work, and they basked in each other's unity and love for one another.

"Is there room for me as well?" asked Týr, who had manifested physically before them.

"I've been recruiting this guy" Bil said, dismantling the hug.

Hjúki, Silvia, Jonathan and Manuel were all extremely impressed, ogling his 3 meter tall, muscular built. His hair and beard were the same colour as his steel armour, aside from the black moustache and goatee. 

His lost hand was instead replaced by an enormous hammer made of gold and trimmed with lead, inscribed with glowing runes.

"I was he who defeated Fenrir" he said, standing over Dagr, "His pups will break far more easily."

Is that why you miss a hand?

"Coward!" Týr yelled, "You hid all this time, acting more like a weasel than as a god!"

Weasels are very strong for their size, so thank you.

Týr rose his hammer, but before he could strike thunderous footsteps crashed the hills, their owners drooling the Sun's golden blood.

"You guys are on a latin stand-off!" shouted Silvia, pointing at each of them.